Gov. Bentley's office reacts to secession petition

With more than 8,000 Alabamians having already signed an online petition requesting to secede from the United States, Governor Robert Bentley's office reacted Tuesday.

Bentley's press secretary, Jennifer Ardis released the following statement:

"Governor Bentley believes in one nation under God. While there is frustration with the federal government, Governor Bentley believes that states can be great laboratories of change. As our leaders in Washington look for strategies to address America's financial challenges, Alabama is working hard toward saving a billion dollars annually by right-sizing government. We can disagree on philosophy, but we should work together to make this country the best it can be. Our nation's leaders can look at states like Alabama as they work to get our country back on a better and more prosperous track."

Talk of secession spread to more than 30 states around the country following President Barack Obama's re-election on November 6. The petitions, though mostly symbolic, are being filed on the Obama administration's White House website.

For the White House to even officially accept a petition and look at it, the petition has to get 25,000 signatures in a month. The state of Texas, alone, has more than 23,000 signatures seeking to leave the Union.